People in Grand Rapids Feel Less Safe Than They Did a Few Years Ago

For as many "best of" lists Grand Rapids falls in, it's a little upsetting when something like this comes along.

A new study from Grand Valley State University (conducted by VoiceGR) found that people in the greater Grand Rapids area don't feel as safe as they did just a few years ago. In fact, in three years the amount of people who feel "unsafe" doubled!

WZZM reports that the study was done in 2016 and asked "...about issues such as education, housing, employment, inclusion and health." Research found that 15% of people say they feel "somewhat" or "very" unsafe. That number was only 7% in 2013.

The chart shows that the top reasons people listed as feeling unsafe were:

Crime/violence

People and

Perceived unsafe activities (loitering, high foot traffic)

These results vary on demographics, where people live, education and poverty levels. As a place to live, white people in greater Grand Rapids felt the most positive about it; followed by Asians, Hispanics, multiracial, American Indian and then Blacks.

On a positive note, over 80% of people overall gave Grand Rapids an "A" or "B" rating as a place to live.

WZZM says that this data is used by schools, neighborhood associations, and other local businesses and governments.